True, I suppose we don't. There have been a fair few murmurings that we're perfectly happy to let him go but I guess none of us really know for sure.
Take what you're saying about us holding young players to a high standard as well. I've been guilty in the past with Can who's turned out to be a potential monster. Maybe it's the Sterling effect.
Have to say though, I wouldn't normally class myself as one to completely write off players just because they are performing poorly. I've stuck up plenty in the past for the likes of Lallana, Lovren and Moreno when they were playing like shit and everyone under the sun was ready to throw them under the bus or bin them off because I always though they were better than they were showing (although with Moreno I'm now not so sure...). When it comes to Markovic though, I've just never seen it. I don't get what it is about him that excites people, or gives them hope that he'll go on to be a player for us. He has talent, I'm not saying he doesn't, but I don't see a single standout feature other than pace and I don't think he brings anything to the table that warrants having him in the side.
I feel like a lot of hope stems from the fact that we have Klopp, who everyone seems to think will magically improve every single player he works with, particularly the young ones. Everyone said (and maybe I was guilty of it too...) that he would turn Ibe into a monster when he first came in and Ibe had a couple of good performances. He had all the tools, and clearly there was talent there, surely it was only a matter of time before Klopp turned him into a serious player for us, right? Fast forward 7 months and Ibe is at Bournemouth.
I'm not saying he's rubbish or anything, but I don't think he excels in any area of his game, and for me you need to have at least one standout attribute to be a successful attacking player in this league, particularly at the top end of the game. Being "decent" at lots of things isn't really enough, if we want to improve.
Maybe he stays here as a squad player, but to be honest given that he looks like a player already completely shorn of confidence and lacking in any intensity I'm not sure playing a bit part role suits him or us. He's also in a position where, if he's not careful, he'll soon be taken over by the likes of Ojo (if he hasn't been already) and behind that there are plenty of youngsters ready to come in and stake a claim.
Good post, mate. Agreed with what you're saying here.
For my two cents, I think Markovic is a very cerebral player. He excels at understanding the game, and what is supposed to happen, but he doesn't react instinctively to what his teammates are doing.
I noticed today, he doesn't attack with the ball unless he sees he we have numerical superiority on his side. He switches play, as he should, and then walks back into position, not paying attention to the fact that his teammates haven't switched the play. He is then not available to receive a pass, or has to pass it back to the defenders, and becomes frustrated over it. Conversely, he also gets frustrated when his teammates switch play when they have numerical superiority on his side or don't move into the space he creates for them. He looks brilliant when his teammates react the way he expects them to, but that only happens in moments.
He also does this with his shot selection. He won't shoot unless he has a clear shot and a good angle. He passes to someone else if he doesn't, or into an area the opposition have vacated expecting one of his teammates to know they should be there. Again, he looks brilliant when he teammates react the way he is expecting, and looks very timid when they don't.
This is why I think he can look head and shoulders above everybody on the pitch in one moment, and look totally clueless the next. He plays the game like it's a simulated model. He knows what is supposed to happen in any given moment, but he doesn't quite know how to react when it doesn't.
Compare that to Ojo, Kent, Ibe, and Sterling who I think are all more instinctive than cerebral players. They are all still learning that side of the game, but Markovic already has it. What he can't do it is react well to an unexpected moment and play against the percentages. I don't know what is better or worse at the age of 22, but that's my take on him anyway.
My hope is that Klopp can help him learn to play a bit more instinctively.
